India to open Consulate in Jaffna

India will soon open a consulate in the Tamil heartland of Jaffna in a bid to spur reconstruction of the war-ravaged region, official sources said Friday.

This follows the elimination of Tamil Tigers in the protracted war with the Sri Lankan troops.

Now that peace is slowly returning to the island nation, though the problem of internally displaced Tamil population has to be addressed on a priority basis, New Delhi thinks it is the opportune time to have a consulate in Jaffna.

The consulate in Jaffna, India hopes, will promote greater people-to-people contact between India and the Tamil population. Jaffna, in the very northern tip of Sri Lanka, is wholly Tamil.

India is also optimistic that the move will increase economic activities in a region that was once known as the breadbasket of Sri Lanka.

All issues related to the consulate have been finalised, sources said. Colombo has cleared the Indian proposal. The request to open the consulate was made soon after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was militarily defeated and its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran killed in May last year. It got a bit delayed as Sri Lanka was going through the Presidential electoral process, which is now over, with the convincing victory of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Now, the process to open the Consulate will gather pace. India has a High Commission in Colombo and a Consulate at Kandy.

India has announced Rs.500 crore (around $100 million) for construction works and rehabilitation of about 300,000 Tamils displaced by the fighting last year between LTTE and government forces.

One of the focus areas of reconstruction is agriculture with India planning a major initiative in this regard in northern Sri Lanka. India is also keenly awaiting the political package to be announced, as promised by President Rajapaksa, for the Tamil minorities. New Delhi hopes that aspirations of these minorities will be taken care of in that package by the President.

- Asian Tribune -